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Arwa the Pearled One
Arwa The Pearled One is the claimant to the throne of the Sarranid Sultanate. She says that she was purchased as a slave by the former Sultan, Ayzar, who was impressed by her intelligence and loved her like a daughter, eventually permitting her to manage his realm. Upon his death, she was made ruler to prevent civil war with the requirement that she marry the general, Emir Baybak. Arwa was recognized as the "Mother of the Realm", while Baybak as "Commander of the Armies". After Baybak was slain in a battle against the Khergits , his nephew Hakim drove her out of the palace at sword point and proclaimed himself Sultan. She now seeks an army with which to overthrow her husband's nephew and retake the throne. Hakim, however, defends his actions, saying that her power was completely derived from her ability to manipulate men like Ayzar and Baybak with her wit and beauty. He argues that a woman alone could not rule the throne, and claims he prevented tyranny and civil war by forcing himself into power. Hakim served her loyally while her royal husband was alive, and now he expects her to return the favour. Stats and Equipment Trivia *Arwa's name (أروى) means "beautiful" in Arabic and could be a reference to Arwa al-Sulayhi, an early medieval queen of Yemen also of common descent and known for her beauty and cunning. However she could also be a reference to Shajar al-Durr, a real female monarch who had a similar origin story. *Arwa shares her banner with Emir Uqais , initially lord of Durquba. In the banner selection screen, both come up as if they are different banners, but this is simply a coding issue. Her banner is a desert or steppe eagle, a prominent Sarranid symbol also used as the emblem for the faction. This is in stark contrast to Hakim's banner, which is the only one of all the lords not to bear a heraldic animal. The eagle could be the sigil of Sultan Ayzar, Hakim's predecessor, and since Hakim is only connected to him through Baybak (who in turn is connected to the sultan through Arwa), it would make sense for the banner to be different from the Sultan's. Hakim's claim thus hinges on Baybak, who was never officially Sultan, while Arwa traces her back to the old dynasty, granting her an extra bit of legitimacy. The shared banner can lead players to believe that Uqais and Arwa may be indirectly related. Since Arwa gained her status as a noble from her marriage to Emir Baybak, could be the origin of the eagle banner. What is more likely, though, is that the banner comes from the time of the old Sultanate - under Ayzar, the eagle was the primary symbol of the Sarranids. And since the banner is completely identical to Arwa's, it could even come from the Ayzar's dynasty itself - perhaps the lords of Durquba were a cadet branch, or Uqais is a disinherited brother. ru:Арва Жемчужная Category:Claimants Category:Sarranid Sultanate